UPDATE: Missing Wood Co. man's family speaks out over 911 call

Posted:
Thursday, February 16, 2012 6:44 PM EST

WOOD COUNTY (WAOW)--The brother of a missing Wood Co. man is speaking out after learning a 911 call that may be involved in the case was not reported.

29-year-old Greg Senn has been missing since last month. Officials say a man called 911 the morning Senn disappeared. The dispatcher who took the call has been suspended after he did not pass along the information.

Police say they found out about the call when they were talking to the caller about an unrelated matter. Senn's brother, Ed, says he was shocked when he first heard about it earlier this week. Now he, along with investigators, are looking for answers.

"It was completely irresponsible not to report anything about it, especially for a month," Greg Senn's brother Ed said.

Ed Senn has been searching for his brother since he went missing from Wood County on January 14. Now, one month later, the discovery of a 911 call, that police say was not followed up on, raises more questions.

"It's kind of hard to point fingers when there's not evidence of foul play or anything like that, but regardless it should have been reported," Ed Senn said.

Officials say the caller spoke broken English, but resources are available for dispatchers to communicate more effectively.

"That service would have been able to talk to him in his native tongue, and gotten better information from him and then relay that in a three-way conference call," Wood County Dispatch Manager Kelly Zenz said.

Dispatch leaders say it's under investigation why the dispatcher did not use that service. But Senn's brother said the call should have been cause for concern.

"How often would a guy that doesn't speak English be so concerned to call in something like that, and somebody not take it seriously," Ed Senn said.

Officials say the caller identified the man walking along Highway U. Grand Rapids Police say that matches the timeline they've created for Senn. Zenz says their procedure is pretty simple.

"When we get calls we are supposed to gather the information and disperse to the proper agencies," Zenz said.

Grand Rapids Police say an officer was on duty the morning of the 911 call, but they never received a call from dispatch.

"If we were dispatched to it we would have responded immediately. During that time period, my officer was not busy," Grand Rapids Police Chief Dave Lewandowski said.

Senn's family members say they are still hopeful they'll find him.

"The best thing we can do for my brother right now is to just keep spreading the word via networking and networking web sites," Ed Senn said.

The name of the dispatcher has not been released at this time. Officials say they will meet with him about the 911 call before making a decision. They say actions could range from a written reprimand to termination.